William m



(No Model.) W. M. DUGKER.

SPRING FOR BOXES, 6w. N0. 323,027. Patented July 28, 1885.

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UNITED STATES WILLIAM M. DUOKER, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y.

SPRING FOR BOXES, etc.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 323,027, dated July 28, 1885.

Application filed March 9,1885.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM M. DUOKER, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Springs for Boxes and Kindred Structures; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference thereon, which form part of this specification.

My invention has for its object an improvement in the springs for such boxes and structures as are closed or fastened by a snap, catch, hasp, or hook, or similar device; and it con sists in the formation of a spring therefor in a new and peculiar manner.

As boxes or cases have been made heretofore with a snap and spring attached to them to hold the lid in position when the box is closed, a metal strip forming the spring has been inserted in the box, a snap provided at the end of such spring and a button or thumb-piece on its side, and this thumbpiece passed through a hole in thefront of the box, to be pressed upon in order to release the snap to open the box. The objections to such arrangements are that a projecting thumb-piece is often in the way, especially in boxes that are carried in the pocket, and that dirt and other obstructions work in between the spring and the side of the box near which it is operated, and interfere with the free use of the box.

Figure 1 shows my invention as applied to Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view showing the construction of the re-enforced front of the body of the box, which constitutes the spring.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in both figures.

A is the box or case, which may be constructed in any well-known manner, of sheet iron, steel, tinned sheet-iron, or sheet-brass, although many other materials are available for the purpose. It is then provided with a (No model.)

snap-spring constructed substantially as follows: A portion, 0, of the front of the box is partially separated therefrom by vertical side slits, c c, which allow free inward movement to the piece 0. A piece, a somewhat longer, and preferably somewhat wider than the piece 0, and also of thin resilient metal, is then attached to the inside of the box,below the slits c 0, from where the said strip extends upward, re-en forcing and giving the requisite degree of stiffness to the piece C. The piece a is suitably bent or shaped at its upper extremity to form a catch, a, which, when the box is closed, engages a suitable projection on the inner side of the lid, holding it in position until pressure is applied to the part 0, which is thereby pressed inward and the lid released. The stiffness of the re-enforcing piecec is to be in proportion to the thickness and resiliency of the material of which the box is constructed, and the piece may be made of any desired or necessary length and width to produce the desired result without departing from the spirit of my invention. By this arrangement I make the box or structure smooth and clear of projections both without and within, and thereby avoid any recesses that gather and retain dirt and interfere with the free use of the box. I also avoid the use of a projecting thumb-piece to operate the spring, which is a great advantage in many articles, especially such as are designed to be carried in the pocket.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- The combination, with the body of a box and a suitable lid therefor, of a snap-spring adapted to secure said lid, the said spring being formed of apartially-separated portion of the body of the box, in combination with a re-enforcing-strip resting against the said partially-separated portion and secured to the body of the box, substantially as described.

} WVILLIAM M. DUOKER.

Witnesses:

XVALTER M. MILLER, NELSON ZABRISKIE. 

